Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete with Congolese President Joseph Kabila in Pretoria on November 4, 2013. (AFP PHOTO / ALEXANDER JOE)
Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete gave an interview to the Associated Press published on Wednesday, in which he warned armed groups operating in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to disarm, a statement that is sure to contribute to mounting tensions between his country and neighboring Rwanda.
Kikwete also hailed the successes of the United Nations-led intervention force in the war-ravaged region, a mission that Tanzania has helped to support. Tanzania’s participation in the force was, of course, one of the primary sources of tension between the Kikwete government and that of Rwandan President Paul Kagame, which has been accused of backing the M23 rebel movement in the DRC. As seemingly uncontroversial as Kikwete’s statements on Wednesday may be, Kigali will not view them as anything short of confrontational.
After all, the Kagame government has made it obvious on previous occasions how short its fuse is where the sensitive subject is concerned. When Kikwete ventured to suggest that Kigali negotiate with a rival Congolese rebel group on the sidelines of an African Union summit last year, the leader was fiercely rebuked by Rwanda which has regarded the Tanzanian president icily ever since.
While Kikwete avoids acknowledging the deterioration of ties between his government and Kigali (“I don’t think our relations with Rwanda have reached a level that should worry anyone”), it is clear that a campaign to vilify the leader has taken off in earnest within Rwanda’s media, which typically takes its cues from the government’s line. In recent months, Rwandan outlets have leveled a variety of accusations against the Tanzanian president, the most damaging of which alleges that his government is holding secret meetings with FLDR rebel leaders — a charge Kikwete vehemently denies.
Tanzania has typically made a point of remaining neutral in regional conflicts, largely avoiding antagonism in its relations with its Great Lakes neighbors. As innocuous as Kikwete’s stance on this issue may seem, the leader is aware that he is walking on thin ice where Rwanda is concerned and his decision to double down on his earlier rhetoric on the DRC suggests that his government is done pleading with Rwanda for reconciliation. While this is still a far cry from open hostility towards its northern neighbor, Kikwete’s more assertive position signals his limited patience with Rwanda’s regional pressure tactics.
Source: blogs.blouinnews.com
